The Cable Gamer is not a big fan of Fortune magazine, because it tends to be sort of dull. But some of the blogs on its website are are oftentimes interesting. The best of them make no pretense of being fair and balanced--but they aren't dull!
A case in point is "The Browser," which declares, as its mission, "analyzing the tech biz." But the authors, who seem to prefer to anonymous--and that's fine with TCG!--are pretty handy with a stiletto, as well as a dictionary:
CNBC has been running ads touting its coverage as “unbiased.” Leaving aside whether you find that claim plausible - or even interesting - the actual full slogan is that CNBC provides “fast, accurate, actionable and unbiased business news”.
Perhaps we are on the crest of a new semantic wave, but does CNBC - a division of General Electric (GE) - really want to refer to its coverage as “actionable”? Every dictionary I have consulted uses as the primary definition for “actionable” some variation of “providing grounds for a lawsuit.” In fact, I can find only one dictionary that even includes a definition akin to the one I assume CNBC intends, i.e., leading to an action, or capable of being acted upon.
I suppose this is nitpicking, but as an editor it is my job to spot and (I hope!) weed out unintended ambiguities. And I’m hardly alone in insisting that, really, the legal meaning is the only meaning of the word actionable, and all other uses are unfortunate corporate malapropisms.
The picture above is an actual screen grab from the website, showing the dopily chosen words.
Interestingly, Fortune shares with its fellow Time-Warner company, CNN. As an aside, one wonders whether this particular posting is really from CNN.
If only CNN were so juicy on the air!
